Qasim to head Pakistan selection committee

Pakistan on Monday appointed former left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim to chair its cricket selection committee responsible for both senior and junior affairs.

Pakistan last month disbanded its selection committees following the resignation of senior election committee chairman Abdul Qadir, who cited interference in his work by the national coach, captain and others.

Following that resignation, former captain Wasim Bari was appointed to act as a one-man interim committee to select the 15-man squad to tour Sri Lanka.

Pakistan's team are currently in Sri Lanka, where they are playing the second of three Tests, ahead of five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international.

"Qasim will be heading a five-man selection committee," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.

The other members were named as Salim Jaffer, Ijaz Ahmed, Mohammad Illyas and Azhar Khan, with Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman as co-opted members.

The 55-year-old Qasim, who played 50 Tests for Pakistan in the 1970s and 1980s, served as a member of the selection committee between 2005 and 2007.

The junior selection committee was previously headed by former Test all-rounder Ilyas.

The PCB practice of employing paid selectors since April 2007 has now been rescinded and there are reports in the local media that the new selection committee will be honorary.